Meet 44 year old Paul who chooses a very wise 30/28 bottom gear and swears by Jaffa Cakes as sportive fuel.
Age: 44
Height: 170cm
Weight: 89kg
Bottom Gear: 30-28
Current bike: Van Nick Euros
What do you take with you on a ride? Spares + Inhaler
Why do you ride sportives? The challenge, the excitement, something to train for.
What was your last sportive? The challenging Epic in Wales, 2nd October (see photo above where I had just crested one of the big climbs) – I have done a few Audaxes and Reliability rides since then though.
What’s your favourite event and why? Our club’s own sportive www.beestonccsportive.co.uk - best route, support and friendliest riders!
What’s the longest sportive you’ve done? Flat Out in the Fens, 2011 – 116 miles
What’s your most memorable sportive moment? Finishing the Epic last year
What’s your worst sportive moment? 30 miles to go on pan-flat Flat Out in the Fens last year – baking heat, running out of fuel and still two hours of riding to go! Then we got lost just a few miles from the end, to add insult to injury
When was the last time you walked up a hill? Glascwm Pitch, Epic last year – I was beaten by then!
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you (or you’ve seen) on a sportive? Funny: having to overtake a steam roller on the South Downs, Scariest: being swept up by a pro-peloton a few miles later!
How much training do you do before an event? Train as much as I can to keep fit, usually ramp it up the last couple of weeks before each event to make sure I can do the kind of riding necessary.
What’s your top sportive riding tip? Don’t rely on the food stop; take your own fuel and make sure you eat it all, before you get hungry.
Favourite feed station fodder? Jaffa Cakes!
Send us your Sportive Profile!
Just complete this template and return to editor@britishcycling.org.uk with Sportive Profile in the subject line and claim your fifteen minutes of fame. Feel free to attach an image or two of you in sportive mode too!
We are particularly interested in hearing from female sportivers and young people taking part, as well as the 'MAMIL' faithful!
